Educational game



July 30, 1968 J. G. HOLTEN 3,394,471

EDUCAT IONAL GAME Filed March 17, 1966 INVENTOR.

fimx; 5 16 01 75 BY JffOI/Vf) United States Patent 3,394,471 EDUCATIONAL GAME James G. Holten, 19937 Labrador St., Chatsworth, Calif. 91311 Filed Mar. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 535,128 9 Claims. (Cl. 35-35) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An educational and entertaining game for learning a language by matching a word on a card in one language with an area on a game board having the word thereon in another language. When matched the player is awarded points. When challenged for inaccuracy by another player, such player is awarded points upon accurately matching the words on the card with those on the board.

Educational games are well known and have been employed for numerous years. However, such games have been known to have numerous faults. For example, educational games heretofore have been unable to hold the players interest for an extended period of time. These games have been designed to be primarly educational and therefore, the entertainment portion of the game has been neglected causing the players to lose interest. Another fault is that such games are designed for a particular age group, usually minors. It has been extremely difficult to design a game in which the play is understandable and interesting to children and also interesting to adults. Another fault is that games of this nature are usually designed for a certain number of players, two to a maximum of six. However, in most cases, such games are not interesting unless the greatest number of players are playing or a number relatively close thereto.

Briefly this invention relates to a game primarily designed to help people learn foreign languages. A series of words of a particular foreign language are printed on a game board, in this instance one hundred have been chosen. The one hundred foreign words are broken up into separate colored areas of twenty-five each to facilitate speed of play. A series of cards are available with the English language translation of the one hundred foreign words, a card for each word. Each card has on one side the English translation of a foreign word and the foreign word printed on the opposite side. Each card also includes a color identifying it with a particular group of twentyfive foreign words. A player will draw a card from the top of the stack, looking only at the English translation on the card, then placing the card over the corresponding foreign word with the same meaning. If the play is correct, a numerical score, denoted on each card, is added to the players score. If it is incorrect, the card is placed on the bottom of the stack and the play passes. Upon a play, the other players have the opportunity of challenging the play, the challenger then being subject to the correct playing of the card and the resultant addition or substraction of the score.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to create a game which is educational and entertaining.

Another object of this invention is for a game which holds the players interest for :an extended period of time.

Another object of this invention is for a game which can be played by both children and adults and entertaining to both.

Another object of this invention is to help people in the learning of a foreign language.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel card container.

Other objects and features of this invention will become eminent as the description proceeds in relation to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the game board of this invention showing a typical playing of a card of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the front side of the card of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is a back side view of the card of this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the means to rotate the game board; and

FIGURE 5 is an exploded view of the card container which is used to contain the cards during non-play and during plays.

With particularity, FIGURE 1 shows a game board 10, one surface thereof being divided into four, equal in size, visually distinguishable first areas 12, 14, 16 and 18. Although four areas are preferred, it is to be understood that the number of first areas could be any number. The first areas are visually separated by means of color, area 12 being brown, area 14 being blue, area 16 being green and area 18 being yellow. However, any colors or any other means to visually distinguish the first areas 12, 14, 16 and 18 could be employed. Within the first areas 12. 14, 16 and 18 are contained a plurality of second areas 20, equal in size. Each first area 12, 14, 16 and 18 contains twenty-five second areas 20, however, the number of second areas 20 is chosen strictly for convenience and may be any reasonable number. Within each second area 20 is contained :a legend 22, in this case a printed word of a foreign language. The phonetic spelling in English is placed below and adjacent each foreign word.

Cards 24 are provided, one for each second area 20. Each card is identical in size to the second area 20 and is adapted to be placed over an area 20. Cards 24 have a front 26 and a back 28 with an open slot 30 contained within the card 24. On the front 26 directly above slot 30 is an English word 32. Also on the front 26, the four corners 34 of the card 24 matches one of the visual distinguishing means of the first areas 12, 14, 16 or 18. For example, the corners 34 of one card 24 may be brown, green, yellow or blue. Also, the card may be marked in some other manner to denote the first area by making the card completely of a material of that color. Back 28 repeats the English word 32 located below the slot 30. Above slot 30 the foreign word 22 is located along with its English phonetic spelling.

The game is played as follows. The board 10 is placed on a flat surface such as a table with the players spaced around the table. The cards 24 are placed in a vertical stack so that the front 26 of the top card is exposed. For purposes of explanation, the words 22 on the board 10 will be in French language, the cards 24 having the English translation thereon. The first player removes the top card 24 (not showing the back 28) and places the card 24 on the corresponding French word which he feels has the same meaning as the English word on the card. To help the player in locating the particular French word on the board 10, the board is divided into the four diiferent colored areas (brown, green, yellow and blue) each area containing the same number of French words, in this case, a total of one hundred French words with twenty-five in each area. Each card is colored as at the corners 34 to match one of the four colored areas. The player then only has twenty-five French words to examine instead of one hundred to determine the correct French word. This limiting of French words to examine increases the speed of play, especially for beginners.

Once a player has made a play, as shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawing in the placing of the card sheep over the French word mouton, the participant on the players right has the first opportunity to challenge the correctness of the play. If the participant on the right prefers not to challenge, this opportunity is presented to the participant on his right and so forth. If the play was correct (as in this case), the player turns the card over showing that the play is correct and adding to his score a numerical number noted on the back 28 of the card (in the lower left hand corner). If the play was challenged by one of the participants, the numerical score noted on the card is subtracted from the challengers score since the play was correct. If the play was incorrect (only the player examines the back side of the card to determine such), the player passes the card with the back not exposed to the participant who challenged. The challenger then must play the card correctly to receive the cards numerical value. If the challenger fails to do so, the numerical value is subtracted from his score. Numerical scores of one to four are employed depending on the difficulty of play.

More than one participant may challenge, but, only one participant per play. The play is stopped for the particular card upon its correct play. If the card is never properly played or no participant challenges the play when the play is incorrect, the back of the card is exposed to view showing where the card should be played. The back of each card contains the repeat of the English word on the cards front plus its corresponding French word and its English phonetic spelling. In this manner each player is given the opportunity to associate the correct French word to its English translation, thereby beginning to learn the French language. The play passes clockwise to the next participant but only upon an incorrect play. If the player was correct, the player draws another card and continues playing until he plays incorrectly. If the player plays incorrectly with no participant challenging, the play is passed to the next player with no penalty to the player. The game may be ended at any reasonable set numerical figure such as fifty or one hundred points, the player with the largest score winning the game.

To facilitate ease of play, the apparatus shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 are provided. FIGURE 4 shows a base 36 with pivoting pin 38 located centrally thereof. The board is mounted on pin 38 during play so that the board 10 may be swiveled to each participant making a play, similar to a lazy suzan. In FIGURE 5 there is shown a container 40 for the cards 24. The container 40 comprises two mating sections 42 and 44, each being identical in shape. Each section 42 and 44 resembles an open rectangular box with one side and end omitted. For storage the cards are placed within section 44 then section 42 is placed over section 44 with the closed end of section 42 being placed adjacent the open end of section 44. In this manner a closed container is provided for the cards 24. During play the section 42 is removed and the cards played from section 44. Once played, the cards 24 are placed within section 42.

As this particular game board 10 contains only one hundred foreign words, it may be but a short time before the players master the board. For this purpose it is intended that additional boards be provided with each game (and corresponding cards). The additional boards would be constructed of a flexible sheet of material and placed over board 10. Pegs 46 are provided to hold the additional boards against movement relative to the more rigid board 10. It is envisioned that as many as nine additional boards be provided with their corresponding cards 24 so that one thousand words of a foreign language could be learned by its players. It is further envisioned that a series of games be provided for each foreign language, the first game being strictly single words, the second game being simple phrases, the third game 4 being more difiicult phrases and the fourth game being sentences. In this manner a complete language could be taught from a game.

From the foregoing it is felt that modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. For example, in addition to learning of foreign languages, this invention might be applied to vocabulary building and to the learning of other information. Accordingly, such deviations or variations from the enbodiment of this invention just described are considered to be a part of this invention as encompassed by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An educational game comprising:

a game board, said game board being divided into a plurality of areas, each of said areas containing a legend; and

a plurality of cards having a front and a back, each of said cards being adapted to be placed on an area, said front of one of said cards containing a legend which has the same meaning as one of said legends in said areas but in a different language, said back of each of said cards containing two legends, one of which is identical to one of said legends in one of said areas, and one of which is the same as on the front thereof, said legends on the back of a single card having the same meaning.

2. An educational game as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said game board is divided into a plurality of larger areas, each of said larger areas containing the identical number of smaller areas.

3. An educational game as defined in claim 2 wherein:

said larger areas being substantially equal in size,

said larger areas having means visually distinguishing each from the other.

4. An educational game as defined in claim 3 wherein:

each of said areas being substantially equal in size, each of said cards being substantially equal in size to said areas.

5. An educational game as defined in claim 4 wherein:

said cards being divided into groups, said groups being equal in number to said larger areas, said groups of cards having means corresponding to said means visually distinguishing said larger areas.

6. An educational game as defined in claim 5 wherein:

said means visually distinguishing said larger areas being different colors.

7. An educational game as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said cards having a means being capable of maintaining the showing of at least a portion of said legend within said areas when placed thereon.

8. An educational game as defined in claim 7 wherein:

said means on said cards being capable of maintaining the showing of a portion of said legend within said areas being a longitudinal opening within said card.

9. An educational game as defined in claim 1 wherein the legend on the front of each card has a preselected degree of difficulty rating and said rating appears on the back of each card.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,472,439 6/1949 Rogers 35-3l.6 3,190,013 6/1965 Cuttat 3535.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 491,948 4/1953 Canada.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner. W. GRIEB, Assistant Examiner. 

